“The European Union and Kazakhstan have the potential to deepen their cooperation in the protection of critical infrastructure, digital skills and the responsible use of these technologies“, said MEP Christian Vigenin in Kazakhstan.
As a member of the Delegation for Relations with Central Asia (DCAS), Vigenin participated in the 23rd meeting of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the European Union and the Republic of Kazakhstan, dedicated to the development of bilateral relations and opportunities for deepening the partnership.
During the meeting in the Parliament of Kazakhstan, issues related to the current international situation, trade and economic cooperation, critical raw materials, climate change, scientific research, education policy and artificial intelligence.
Vigenin, in his role as rapporteur for the Socialists and Democrats on the “Omnibus on Artificial Intelligence“, stressed that new technologies bring not only opportunities, but also responsibilities for their regulation. The MEP presented the European approach to the development of artificial intelligence, which aims to encourage innovation while ensuring the protection of citizens' fundamental rights.
The delegation also focused on cooperation in the fight against climate change and the advancement of the green transition. Climate change is putting increasing pressure on water resources in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, with implications for agriculture and energy.
“The green transition and decarbonisation must go hand in hand with economic competitiveness, industrial modernisation and job creation in the regions affected by this transformation“, said the MEP. According to him, long-term investments and exchange of expertise are needed to ensure more sustainable water management.
The central topic of the meeting was also the transport connectivity between the Union and Kazakhstan and the so-called Middle Corridor. Strengthening this corridor will create opportunities for better diversification of transport routes and more sustainable supply chains between the EU and the countries of the region.
“I believe that there are significant opportunities for further partnership, based on open political dialogue, mutual trust and concrete results that contribute to closer rapprochement of Europe with Kazakhstan“, stressed Vigenin.
During the visit, the EP delegation visited the Artificial Intelligence Center in Astana, where MEPs were introduced to the impressive scale of its activities - from trainings and seminars for students to support for start-ups in the field of AI and high-tech. The delegation also met with students and lecturers at Nazarbayev University, one of the leading research universities, where opportunities for training under the “Erasmus“ program were discussed with particular attention and internships in European institutions. In a separate meeting, the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Saysat Nurbek, explained Kazakhstan's achievements in improving the quality of education in the country and the successful efforts to attract branches of leading world universities based in different regions of Kazakhstan. Vigenin committed to exploring the possibilities of creating partnerships with Bulgarian universities, and raised the issue with the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Kazakhstan, Georgi Vodensky, with whom he held a bilateral meeting.
The delegation met with the Ombudsman of Kazakhstan, Artur Lastayev, with non-governmental and human rights organizations, with representatives of UN agencies based in Astana, as well as the ambassadors of EU member states.
The visits ended with meetings in the Caspian city of Aktau and a visit to the port, the modernization of which is crucial for the success of the initiative to build the Trans-Caspian international transport route, known as the Middle Corridor. Bulgaria has been assigned a special responsibility to step up work on this large-scale project, which should create a faster and more secure route for trade flows from China and Central Asia through the South Caucasus to the European Union and back.
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